Musk Targets Scott's $26 Billion Giving as Backlash Over USAID Cuts Intensifies
Updated
Updated · Business Insider · Jun 30
Musk Targets Scott's $26 Billion Giving as Backlash Over USAID Cuts Intensifies
3 articles · Updated · Business Insider · Jun 30
Summary
At least eight X posts in four days drew Elon Musk's public support as he attacked MacKenzie Scott's philanthropy, including claims she had "burned through" $26 billion and made the world worse.
Scott's Yield Giving says she has distributed more than $26 billion through 2,700 gifts, including over $7 billion last year, backing more than 2,000 nonprofits with no-strings-attached grants.
Musk's renewed criticism lands as he faces fresh attacks over his role in pushing USAID cuts and staff layoffs, which he defended as targeting waste, fraud and abuse.
Nicholas Kristof intensified that pressure Sunday by posting a list of people he said died because of Musk's aid cuts, while Bill Gates and others had already warned the disruptions could cause preventable deaths.
Scott has not publicly responded; the clash underscores a broader fight over whether vast private or public funds should support progressive causes and foreign aid.
In 2025, Elon Musk publicly criticized philanthropic strategies, but MacKenzie Scott responded not with words, but with action—continuing and expanding her distinctive approach to giving. That year, Scott reached a new peak by donating nearly $7.2 billion, bringing her total contributions to over $26 billion. Her method, marked by large, unrestricted gifts, represents a new brand of philanthropy that trusts recipients to use funds as they see fit. This approach stands in contrast to traditional models and serves as a clear, indirect answer to Musk’s criticisms, highlighting Scott’s commitment to impactful, community-driven giving.